ongoing ferritin "low iron" issues (Read 1494 times)

snicole

posted: 10/4/2011 at 2:29 PM

Question. Has anyone found that, despite their numbers going up (ferritin/iron) they still have symptoms after running? I was diagnosed with very low ferritin almost 9 months ago and started supplementing. Many of my symptoms have since improved...so I started tapering the supplements. I am now down to one iron pill a day. However, I still find that excessive running brings my symptoms back ... after running I feel week, shakey and have occassional heart palpitations. Could running be caused this symptoms to reappear? I have been tested for other possiblities.. thyroid etc... but this is the only explanation.. I guess.

a) did you get your ferritin levels retested before deciding to taper off the supplements. You might start to feel better when you are out of the critically low level but not be high enough.

b) runners need a higher level than is often considered "normal" make sure your doctor knows how much running you are doing

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

snicole

posted: 10/4/2011 at 8:28 PM

Thanks for the reply. I did have my levels checks and every doc tells me.. you are good to go... back to normal. Honestly, I haven't had one doctor acknowledge that this is in any way linked to running. It is very frustrating and makes me think I am crazy... indeed, I had one doc tell me I might need anti-anxiety meds. Ha... If I can't run... I certainly will. So... what kind of doctor do I need exactly? A nutritionist? Sports medicine? Any thoughts as to the correct doc to follow this issue?

Thanks for the reply. I did have my levels checks and every doc tells me.. you are good to go... back to normal. Honestly, I haven't had one doctor acknowledge that this is in any way linked to running. It is very frustrating and makes me think I am crazy... indeed, I had one doc tell me I might need anti-anxiety meds. Ha... If I can't run... I certainly will. So... what kind of doctor do I need exactly? A nutritionist? Sports medicine? Any thoughts as to the correct doc to follow this issue?

"Good to go"? What are your numerical ferretin and hemoglobin levels?

"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

I have symptoms come back pretty quickly if I get lax on my supplements for a few days. Your doctor doesn't see the link to running? Switch docs. Also, if you aren't getting the needed results pay attention to how you take your supplements: Not with coffee or tea, not with calcium, with fruit or vitamin C supplement. That helped me pretty quickly.

I don't half-ass anything

"I have several close friends who have run marathons, a word that is actually derived from two Swahili words: mara, which means 'to die a horrible death' and thon, which means 'for a stupid T-shirt.' Look it up." - Celia Rivenbark, You Can't Drink All Day if You Don't Start in the Morning

snicole

posted: 10/6/2011 at 9:40 AM

When I first tested in Feb 2011 (with awful symptoms... shaking, vertigo, dizziness, heart palpitations) .. I had a ferritin of 11 (on scale of 13-150). My hemoglobin was 12.9 (out of 11.5-15.). By this time, I had already started supplementing with iron for a few weeks b/c I had a hunch that was my problem.

Started supplementing with 3 iron pills a day (325 mg ferruous sulfate) and cut down on running significantly.

Sometime around June/July, I was feeling much better so I cut down the iron to 1 pill a day and started running 3/4 times a week + other exercise ( plus I am a really active person).

I was last tested in July and had iron at 32ug/DL, hemoglobin at 13.2 g/dl and ferritin at 102ng/ML.

Now that my ferritin level is up significantly.. I am worried and don't want to overdo it on the iron.

This is probably too much information, but I am pretty sure my problem was the result of a "perfect storm". I have had 2 kids over the last five years, was on a IUD which caused me excessive bleeding (for 2 years) and during this time ramped up my running. I drove myself into the dirt.

When I first tested in Feb 2011 (with awful symptoms... shaking, vertigo, dizziness, heart palpitations) .. I had a ferritin of 11 (on scale of 13-150). My hemoglobin was 12.9 (out of 11.5-15.). By this time, I had already started supplementing with iron for a few weeks b/c I had a hunch that was my problem.

Started supplementing with 3 iron pills a day (325 mg ferruous sulfate) and cut down on running significantly.

Sometime around June/July, I was feeling much better so I cut down the iron to 1 pill a day and started running 3/4 times a week + other exercise ( plus I am a really active person).

I was last tested in July and had iron at 32ug/DL, hemoglobin at 13.2 g/dl and ferritin at 102ng/ML.

Now that my ferritin level is up significantly.. I am worried and don't want to overdo it on the iron.

This is probably too much information, but I am pretty sure my problem was the result of a "perfect storm". I have had 2 kids over the last five years, was on a IUD which caused me excessive bleeding (for 2 years) and during this time ramped up my running. I drove myself into the dirt.

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Your iron numbers are better now than I can even get mine to and I am male. While I'm not an expert on this, it does not appear that your iron levels would be the source of your problems....unless your levels have dropped a lot since the July test.

11 was bad....If you're over 30 on ferretin, unless hemoglobin is low, I start doubting that iron is your issue.

"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

northernman

Fight The Future

posted: 10/6/2011 at 11:38 AM

I second spaniel's opinion. sounds like not iron. Could it be not enough rest/sleep/ too much stress? I know when I'm doing high mileage (high for me, that is) I need at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

I second spaniel's opinion. sounds like not iron. Could it be not enough rest/sleep/ too much stress? I know when I'm doing high mileage (high for me, that is) I need at least 8 hours of sleep a night.

The difference, for me, when iron WAS an issue (and I don't think it is in this case) was that I never felt fully awake. I'd get up in the morning but never feel awake. When my iron is at a normal level I wake up and am alert very quickly.

Yeah, not sure what it could be. I have clearly gotten WAY better but the symptoms are not completely resolved. I wonder if (even after your body has stored up iron) it still takes time for it to recover from the shock of low iron. Either that or I have some undiagnosable hyperthyroid thing going on (as it never shows up in my bloodwork). Frustrating .. but maybe I just need to wait it out a little longer. Thanks for the thoughts.